I am a very literal person. If you can't show me proof, then don't expect me to accept your theory of time as fact. I don't care who you are. You weren't there. You don't know for certain.
It really, really, really bugs me that a scientist will make his best guess and then hook his thumbs under his lapel, lean back on his heels and pompously
tell me '3 million years ago....' and think I will take it on faith that he's correct. I will be more inclined to believe a statement of 'We think that 3 million years ago...'
(And don't get on the 'carbon (or whatever the newest type is called) dating' bandwagon either, because an archeological student showed me facts that their first dating were completely wrong. So, if they weren't sure about the first 'sure' dating, how can they be sure they got it right? Or wrong, for that matter. I hope you can see my anal-retentive dilemma.)
At our house, when we see a pompous one on tv spouting 'facts' that happened before recorded history, we all roll our eyes and say 'So they say....' in unison.
That's why I am so glad Hubby took us to Waimangu. It's my kind of history--recorded with a definite date for all to see. A volcano exploded over the area and all the growth is since 1886. Sadly, the lava and ash covered what was considered 'the 8th wonder of the world'..the pink and white terraces. You can read about it here, it's a kid's version, so it's not bogged down with information.
We took a bus down to lake Rotomahana (Black Lake) where the bus driver got out and went with us to the boat dock. He then proceeded to captain the boat and narrate the tour! (As we were leaving, I heard another tourist mention '...a three hour tour...')
The yellow color is not from sulfur, as most people think. We were told that it is an algae that grows on and around the steaming geyser holes that pop up here and there.
The white is silica.
Our holiday was in the Rotorua area and there is a lot of geo-thermal activity there. Of course, I took lots of photos, so there will be more in later posts.
